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The contribution of female mate choice and pupal mating to the reproductive isolation between the butterflies Heliconius erato and Heliconius himera
(2022-03-17)
Alternative mating tactics, mutual mate choice, and multiple mating cues can contribute to reproductive isolation but are rarely all addressed in case studies of speciation. Here, we dissected the behavioral components of assortative mating using the closely related parapatric butterflies Heliconius erato cyrbia and Heliconius himera. We tested male and female preference, the role of geography, the use of color or pheromones in female choice, and male choice in pupal mating, and an alternative mating tactic. We found evidence of female preference for conspecific males in both species, while only H. erato males showed evidence of courtship preference. Female H. himera rejected males with blocked androconial pheromones over controls but did not show bias against males with altered coloration. In the context of pupal mating, an alternative mating strategy, we observed only H. erato males were less likely to make interspecies mating mistakes. This work underscores the importance of collecting behavioral data to the study of speciation and highlights how multiple traits can contribute to reproductive isolation even between closely related species....
Deciphering the Epargyreus clarus (silver spotted skipper) wing patterning genes
(2020-05-20)
Butterfly wing patterns have captivated evolutionary and developmental biologists for decades because of their vast diversity. Studies have focused on the molecular basis of pattern variation in the Nymphalidae, with little effort put toward skippers, family Hesperiidae. This study had two aims: identify the presence of Wnt genes through ISH and pharmacological drug injections, and test differentially expressed genes in three developmental stages, between wing types, and between wing compartments of E. clarus using RNA-sequencing. I hypothesized, that a simple yet modular set of genes was involved in wing pattern development of the skipper, similar to that of nymphalid butterflies and that genes such as WntA and Ubx would be differentially expressed as in nymphalids. ISH confirmed the presence of two Wnt genes and RNA-seq provided evidence of differential expression, suggesting that the genes underlining wing pattern diversity are being shared between these two distantly related families....